Three Thirty Appointment With Friendship
by Nanaki Lioness
Summary: AU, mild Taitoish fic. Tai's getting his hair cut, and a counselling session with it, too.


Disclaimer: The characters, items, places etc of Digimon are property of Toei Ltd

Disclaimer: The characters, items, places etc of Digimon are property of Toei Ltd. These objects are used without permission for entertainment only, not for making money. No infringement is intended.

Warning! Has a very mild Taito-ish theme. Don't like, don't read. This is also AU- Alternative Universe. I.E- The Digiworld never happened. Matt and Tai don't know each other. 

**Three Thirty Appointment With Friendship**

by Nanaki Lioness

It was possibly one of the hardest moments of my life. I was standing outside the local barber's shop, an appointment booked, yet I couldn't make myself walk in that door and go to it.

My hair. Okay, it's stupid and obsessive, but I really did like it the way it was; big, fluffy and a complete mess. But, as I'd soon realised, if I was ever going to get a decent job, I knew it needed to be cut and styled.

Besides, it was one of the many things my wife had listed about me that she hated, before storming out the door over a week ago.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the door to the small cutting room, hearing the bell above the door chime discordantly.

A young blonde man, probably around my age, looked up from the desk where he was currently sitting. He smiled at me and stood up as I approached.

"I have an appointment for three thirty," I said. "Yagami Taichi."

The blonde scanned his sheet and found my name, ticking it off with a smile.

"What are you having done?" He asked, leading me over to a nearby chair, graciously taking my coat and hanging it up on a nearby clothes hook for me.

I shrugged. "I don't really know. It needs controlling, I guess."

The blonde smiled. "I think it does. My name's Yamato, by the way. But, call me Matt."

"Hi," I said, letting him place some kind of apron around my shoulders. I glanced up in the mirror in front of me, watching Matt pick up a comb and start running it through my hair. Our eyes met, mine brown and his blue.

"I like your hair," I said before I could stop myself.

Matt's hair was… Well, _immaculate_. The blonde strands were shoulder length and styled into place with what appeared to be a lot of gel. Yet, it still had a natural, almost fluffy look to it.

"Thank you," Matt said, smiling slightly. "Don't tell me you want yours like this though; it can be a pain when I'm late for work!"

I grinned slightly. "I know the feeling. I'm always late, hence why I never bothered to get a style before…"

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Matt asked, putting the comb down and picking up a water sprayer. He shot small gusts of misty water onto Tai's hair. "After all, your hair's healthy and shiny. I don't think there was much wrong with it."

"My wife did."

Now, I have no idea what possessed me to say that. Matt wasn't there to listen to my problems; he was there to cut my hair, get his tip, and kick me out.

He stopped spraying water and put it down, his eyes flicking up to look at me in the mirror. I could see traces of sympathy, and could certainly hear it in his voice as he spoke.

"What happened?"

I shrugged, twirling my still-present wedding band around my finger. "She reacted harshly to something I said, cussed me out, and left me."

"Sorry to hear it," he replied, his eyes to the floor. I could easily see he had had his heart broken by a women before, too. When you have it happen, it's easy to see the signs.

"What did yours do to you?" I asked, cursing my quick tongue for about the third time that day. I had to keep reminding myself that I had never met the man who was currently combing through my hair again before.

Though, it felt as though I'd known him a lifetime as he stopped combing and sighed. I could read him like a book, and he had had similar experiences as I had.

"She also reacted badly to something she found out that she shouldn't have done." He paused a moment before continuing. "She found out from a friend of mine that I'm…" He paused again before whispering. "Bisexual..." He coughed and spoke normally again, his cheeks flushed a little red. "The person who told her thought she knew… I mean, _everyone_ knew…"

I sighed. "Geez, that's shallow," I said softly. "Sorry to hear it."

Matt shrugged. "Was a couple years back now."

"You don't get over it though…" I replied.

Matt shook his head, shrugging. There was an awkward silence for a moment before he picked the scissors up.

"Now, what am I doing with your hair?" He asked.

"Whatever you think it best," I replied. "You're the barber, not me!"

"And it's your hair, therefore your decision," Matt insisted.

I shrugged again. "Anything, really. Just make it more presentable, so I can go to job interviews and not be asked 'is a bird nesting on your head?'"

Matt grinned. "Okay, if you're sure…"

He picked up the comb and scissors, cutting the first lock from my hair. I watched disdainfully as it fell onto my shoulder, knowing there would be no turning back now.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Matt said suddenly, keeping his eyes on my hair. "I'm not normally that talkative."

"It's okay," I said. "You listened to me, I listened to you. We're even."

More hair dropped around me, and I cringed.

"If you didn't want your hair cut, why did you come here, Taichi?" Matt asked.

"Tai," I said almost automatically. "And I need it done. I need to look presentable to get jobs."

"And you want to make your wife happy, am I correct?"

I shifted uncomfortably, not wanting to tell him he was correct.

"Women are too much trouble," Matt said with a grin. "You should do whatever makes _you_ happy."

"Getting a job would make me happy," I stressed. "This is a small sacrifice."

Matt didn't look convinced, but he didn't say any more on the matter. I closed my eyes, content on hearing the soft snipping sounds of my hair being cut away. It didn't hurt so much now.

It's funny, though, how people's lives can cross. I didn't know when I walked into the barber's that I would gain myself a friend. And, even though we had never met and barely spoken, I considered Matt to be one of my closest friends. He was so easy to talk to, and so open minded.

I don't know how long I had my eyes closed, and I think I drifted off at one point, because I semi-awoke to Matt taking that plastic apron thing off my shoulders. I looked up in the mirror, my eyes widening in shock.

I looked _smart_ for once. My hair was short, neat and tidy. Though Matt had done a fantastic job, I couldn't work out if I liked it.

"Whoa," was all I said. Matt smiled.

"It _does_ look different," he said softly as I stood up. The back of my neck was tickling with small, fine hair that had fallen there. I rubbed at it, telling myself to shower as soon as I got home.

"How much is that going to cost?" I asked as Matt walked back over to the desk. I followed him, opening my wallet.

Matt taped a few buttons on the till and stated an amount I knew was a lot lower than it should be. Grinning a little, I handed him a couple of notes and some change.

"Do you have a pen and paper I could borrow for a moment?" I asked as Matt handed me some change- even though I had given him the correct amount.

"Sure," he answered, handing me a post-it pad and a pen. He walked across the shop and picked up a broom, sweeping my hair up to the wall. Smiling slightly, I wrote a quick message and stuck the post-it to his till.

Quickly grabbing my coat, I exited, walking across the street in the direction of my house. If things worked out to plan, we would be seeing each other again. After all, not only had I tipped him all the extra change he had given me, I had left my number and the reason why my wife left me.

She, too, found out my true sexuality- bisexual. And, she too, left me because of it. I was beginning to wonder if it was the same person.

I glanced back round to look at the barber's shop before heading off home. Matt was reading my note. I grinned as he walked across the shop and plucked a small lock of my hair and placed it into his pocket.

It looked as though my plan had worked, after all.

_Author's Notes: What is it with me and these little ditties lately? I keep having ideas for short little fics! This is another one of those 'I saw an image in my head' things; this time, of Matt as a hairdresser. I dunno why ._

_Feedback to [Nanaki_Lioness@hotmail.com][1] or reviews below for ff.net would be appreciated!_

   [1]: mailto:Nanaki_Lioness@hotmail.com



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